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UK - Large format projections specialists E//T//C UK created a 150 metre wide high-impact image across 350 metres of water onto Caernarfon Castle for a massive son et lumière event, Merlin's Magic Quest, a show celebrating Welsh history, heritage and community.

The event follows on from a pilot project staged in 2004, in which E//T//C UK projected onto a portion of the castle walls from the bottom of the hill on the town side of the Seiont River. This time, the projections - fed by five Pigi 6Kw projectors with double rotating scrollers - filled the entire side of the castle including three towers and two curtain walls facing the water - and were beamed from across the far side of the river.

The brown stone surface was a challenging surface on which to project, but the P

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UK - Leicestershire-based Hawthorns recently provided lighting to the Alton Towers Electric Towers firework spectacular. Lighting designer and the park's technical manager Simon Horsley specified City Colours, Alpha Spot and Washes and Martin Atomic Strobes. Hawthorns were using, for the first time, their new TowAir inflatable clear domes to protect the moving lights from the elements.

Thirty of the strobes gave lightning effects to the Towers during the 20-minute spectacle. In addition three 200a three phase lightning strikes were suspended in and around the towers to light up the sky. A row of Alpha 575's along the lakeside raised up on decking allowed Horsley to create some stunning effects bouncing light off the water.

In addition to the lighting, Hawthorns also created two 5m x 5m ground support Prolyte truss boxes to contain two HVFX tesla coils.

(Jim Evans)

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The Netherlands - The Interactive Multimedia & Collaborative Communications Alliance (IMCCA) will be hosting a Collaborative Conferencing Pavilion at Integrated Systems Europe 2007, which opens on January 30th 2007 in Amsterdam.

The Pavilion is designed for companies to showcase solutions and technologies in video conferencing, audio conferencing and data/web conferencing in a dedicated area. The pavilion will encompass a presentation room where participating companies will also have the opportunity to be included in the scheduled programme of seminars to visitors.

Carol Zelkin, executive director at IMCCA states, "Any form of business communication including business conference calls, web conferencing and video conferencing is a key market that unites the corporate business, IT and AV industries. By working together, Collaborative Conferencing can create the perfect plat

featured content

Indochine X PixMob Fan Immersion

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's - 40 thousand LED pixels on a ceiling!!! Indochine's whirlwind tour transports fans to another level of the live experience - immersing them from floor to ceiling with PixMob's X4 wristbands, and an LED ceiling made entirely of its NOVA Minis! With the vision of Indochine's creative team, PixMob used its LED fan-technology to turn attendees and venues into an ocean of effects, and a starry sky of LED magic. Très très cool!

Read more about the Indochine tour in the latest issue of LSi

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USA - Robe's brand new StageQube 324 LED wall has won one of the LDI 2006 Debuting Product Awards in the projection category. The product was launched in September at the PLASA Show, and LDI saw it revealed to the American Market for the first time.

The LDI judges praised the StageQube 324 for its innovative engineering, integrating structural support into each display module. They were impressed with how easily and quickly the system was to set up and maintain by replacing any panel anywhere without taking the system apart.

The Award, announced on the second day of the three day Las Vegas event, was collected for Robe by international sales manager Harry von den Stemmen.

Robe's MD Josef Valchar SAYS: "It's a great honour to win this Award, and for our dedication to digital lighting to be recognised in such a high profile environment. We are expecting a very busy and po

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Russia - Bossman Ltd, D.A.S. Audio distributor for Russia has supplied D.A.S. powered systems for installation in the Cinema Art Hall theatre in Norilsk and in the Mir Kino movie theatre and auditorium located in Moscow's Tsvetnoy Square.

The 1,000-capacity Mir Kino can be used for both movie screenings and theatre performances. When the stage is used for conferences, theatre plays or concerts the main PA designed by Bossman consists of four CA-28A powered line array systems flown at the centre of the stage as well as eight powered Compact 2 systems built into the flanks of the stage.

PA Mixing is through a Yamaha PM5D , while Bossman installed six SM-15A powered stage monitors. The microphones for theatre and music performances are Audix and the lightning by Robe.

For film screenings, screenings, Bossman opted for Dynamics, with 24 DS-12 boxes distributed throughout the aud

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UK - Stagecraft reports a healthy increase in sales for its hire department during summer 2006. The combination of a prolonged summer of fine, dry weather and an increase in the number of outdoor performances and festivals has resulted in an abundance of new opportunities for the Salisbury-based company.

"It has been an excellent summer for hire this year and we have thoroughly enjoyed working on such a wide variety of projects," comments technical director Mike Naish. "Fine weather has also helped organisations to feel confident about staging outdoor events although we always build into our plans the possibility of a downpour!"

The company supplied Martin Mac 250s and Mac 500s for a private performance by the band Madness, the Arc Roof and stage for the Salisbury International Arts Festival, Art Asia and the Honey Pot charity appeal; Source 4 profiles and

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UK - Focusrite Audio Engineering has announced the appointment of Damian Hawley to the position of UK manager for the Focusrite, Novation and KRK brands.

Hawley has an Honours Degree (BEng) in Electronics & Business from Middlesex University and joined Focusrite as sales executive for UK South in late 2004. He previously occupied positions at JP Morgan and Synthax UK.

Chris Gooddie, worldwide sales director for Focusrite/Novation commented: "I'm delighted to appoint Damian to the position, a new role which been created as a result of our recent strong growth across both our house brands, and our acquisition of KRK distribution for the UK and Ireland."

(Jim Evans)

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UK - Rigging Specialists Nippy Industries has supplied London's National Theatre with a 14-way Kinesys automation system featuring Liftket vari-speed motors. The system will be primarily based in the popular Lyttelton Theatre, but will also be available for use in the National's other venues.

Nippy has been a rigging supplier at the National since 2001 and works closely with the National's rigging department including rigging resources technician, Matthew Wheeler and his colleague Rob Barnard, head of stage facilities.

Wheeler and Barnard first saw the Kinesys system on the Nippy Industries stand at the 2005 ABTT show, and were immediately struck by its potential flexibility for the National. The theatre has an action-packed production and repertory schedule across all its theatre spaces. "The demands of the theatre are really quite considerable," says Wheeler, and w

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UK - The Engine Shed, the University of Lincoln's brand new £6 million multi-purpose venue, opened to great acclaim thanks to the entertainment install carried out by Stage Electrics. Stage Electrics worked with the University back in 2004 when carrying out the installation of the Drama Studio and were the obvious choice for this most recent project.

The Engine Shed, now the largest music venue is the East Midlands, has been built on the site of old railway buildings by Brayford Pool and retains much of the old brick architecture. The interior walls are decorated with posters illustrating the site's historic background as a major railway junction.

A comprehensive lighting and sound system was installed throughout the venue which consists of four main areas, the main room with a capacity of 1500, the Mezzanine Bar, the Tower Bar and the Sports Bar.

The main EAW loudspea

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USA - The Dave Matthews Band (DMB) spent four months crossing the US on their marathon summer 2006 tour for which FOH engineer Jeff Thomas switched the band to a system of self-powered Milo curvilinear array, supplied by San Francisco-based Pro Media/UltraSound.

Thomas and the DMB have worked with UltraSound since early in the band's career, originally assembling a sound system based around Meyer Sound's unpowered MSL-3 reinforcement loudspeaker. Derek Featherstone, UltraSound's director of rentals and touring, says, "When Jeff Thomas and I first started talking eleven years ago about sound systems, the direction to go was with Meyer. A decade later when we were looking for a compact, high-powered, tour-friendly line array and Milo was on the market and proven in the field, it was a natural fit for the band."

"The tour carries 28 Milo cabinets, so we can hang as

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Eire - The Abbey Theatre in Dublin has two auditoriums, the Abbey being the main theatre seating 628 and a smaller studio space called the Peacock Theatre seating 157. Recently the theatre management took the opportunity to install a d&b audiotechnik system that could be used in either auditorium.

"When the prospect arose to acquire a new sound system I consulted my technical staff for their views," said director of technical services, Tony Wakefield. "They were very enthusiastic about the quality of d&b systems."

The system, designed by sound engineers Cormac Caroll and Eddie Breslin with input from MOSCO's Kevin McGing, comprises Q7s, Q-SUBs, E3s and E12 SUBs all driven by d&b's E-PAC amplifiers and was supplied by Dublin based dealer, Big Bear Sound.

The installation is semi-permanent and can be used in either auditorium as well as other areas of the b

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Worldwide - Jay-Z's tour Global Express, could be described as open and empty. Everything is reduced to a minimum. To fill the visual void lighting designer Gary Westcott and his associate Matthew Button, applied three Barco LED screens, and lighting control is by grandMAs.

"The system is simple enough - three screens of Barco LED, one a wide-screen centre stage, flanked by two in portrait orientation - very narrow, side screens. There's a three-camera system for live shots, one front-of-house, one in the pit and one on stage," says Drew Findley, who is responsible for the video content. Findley controls the four used M-Boxes from a grandMA. "The show is event driven: what I like about the grandMA is the flying faders - having the ability to move quickly and easily between pages, and copy out of existing pages," he says.

Logistics have proved challen

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UK - For the sixth consecutive year, London-based event services company PSL has enabled the master coiffeurs of British hairdressing to show off their intricate skills at the Salon International exhibition at London's ExCeL.

The masterclasses of Vidal Sassoon, Trevor Sorbie and Tim Hartley provided the big draw to Salon Live, where, for £90 a ticketed session, hairdressers from around the world could watch their scissor-work on three giant screens in a purpose-built theatre, designed by PSL.

The auditorium featured a flat stage with catwalks, dominated by three 14' x 10.5' screens, coupled with double-stacked Barco ELM R12 projectors. PSL provided a 4-camera PPU to capture every detail of styling technique and relay it to the screens. Over three days of special events, the theatre also hosted presentations on products and techniques from leading brands in the hair indus

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France - Summit Steel helped production company Fourimpact realise the true power of plants at the pre-press launch of the new Ford Mondeo for the Paris Motor Show. The event was staged in the beguiling Pershing Hall Hotel, one of Paris's finest and most elegant establishments, famed for its 27m high vertical walled garden.

Summit's main task was to rig a series of discreet catenary wires between the courtyard's second floor level balconies, onto which over 200 artistically presented orchids were attached forming a ceiling of flowers and looking fabulous. The orchid roots were encased in little parcels of damp compost to ensure they stayed fresh for the event.

Summit's team led by Jon Bray worked closely with production manager Haydn Taylor. "It was an extremely stylish event in a beautiful setting that needed dressing appropriately and sympathetically, " explains Ta

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USA - If you get seven years' bad luck for breaking a mirror, imagine what you'd get for smashing a mirror ball. Arriba Cases has come to the rescue of superstitious DJs everywhere by introducing two new bags that protect mirror balls from damage during transit, the AC-70 and AC-71 Mirror Ball Protectors.

Part of Arriba's line of soft, padded lighting cases, the AC-70 and AC-71 are designed to securely hold an 8" and a 12" mirror ball respectively. Lightweight yet rugged, they can accommodate mirror balls from any major manufacturer. Made of the same durable synthetic material as Arriba's other lighting cases, the AC-70 and AC-71 will protect and help extend the lifespan of delicate mirror balls, one of the most popular and enduring special effects in any light show.

Ideal for DJs, musicians and mobile entertainers, the AC-70 and AC-71 Mirror Ball Protectors are ligh

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Australia - Family Nightclub in Brisbane, Australia, recently overhauled its sound system, installing Allen & Heath mixers in all rooms, including the audiophile Xone:V6, MIDI-enabled Xone:92, and industry-standard Xone:62.

Winner of 'Best Club in Australia' for three consecutive years, Family boasts line-ups with top international artists, and superior technical equipment.

Family installed the full V6 package - including additional EQ Isolator and Crossfader units - in their main dance arena, along with a Xone:92 for DJs requiring sliding channel faders and MIDI capability, and four Allen & Heath VF-1 filter units, one for each turntable and CD audio source. The Xone:V6 is a luxury rotary mixer, with valves on every input channel, discrete circuitry, precise filters, and oil-damped, ultra-smooth rotary faders.

"It's the first time I've heard a million dollars worth of

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Germany - One of the leading companies in the German events industry, Düsseldorf Congress GmbH, has taken delivery of a new Soundcraft Vi6 digital audio console for one of its primary city locations, the 7,500-capacity PhilipsHalle in Düsseldorf.

Although the Soundcraft Vi6 will mainly be used in the PhilipsHalle, it will be mobile, enabling it to be used in any of the seven other Düsseldorf Congress venues, such as the massive 61,000-capacity LTU-Arena and the 13,400-seat ISS Dome, home of the Düsseldorf ice-hockey team, where the console made its debut on an outdoor show.

Markus Grotheer, event engineer for Düsseldorf Congress GmbH, was assigned the task of selecting a digital console to replace the ageing analogue desk in the PhilipsHalle. He and his colleagues had already decided on a popular mid-range model when they came across the Soundcraft Vi6 at the ProLight+Sou

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USA - Chauvet has released a distinctive LED blacklight fixture. The LED Shadow is an exclusive DMX blacklight combining high portability with the low power consumption and longevity of LEDs. It is fitted with 192 ultra violet LEDs averaging 100,000 hours of operation. The diodes are enclosed in a sleek, 2.5-inch thin plastic and aluminum panel. Total weight is less than 5 lbs (2.22 kgs).

Three channels of DMX control dimming and strobing capabilities as well as the activation of pre-set programs. All functions can also be triggered in stand-alone mode via dip-switches.

LED Shadow incorporates two sturdy brackets (for clamp and wall mount) and one extra power output to daisy chain units. For a more complete mobile show, this distinctive blacklight can also be linked to the newly released LED Techno Strobe featuring all white strobing LEDs and the LED Techno Strobe RGB with ful

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UK - As a result of their ever increasing success in the commercial and architectural lighting market, Dynalite Europe are expanding into other areas through the appointment of Nick Van Tromp as sales engineer to the audio visual market. Van Tromp comes from an HVAC and lighting controls background and with three years experience in the home automation industry, he is looking to work closely with custom installers who are wanting to distinguish themselves from others in this highly competitive market.

He says: "Dynalite not only offer a huge range of control products to suit virtually any lighting application but also have an array of user interfaces and integration techniques which are second to none in the market. Quite simply, what makes us stand out in this industry is our ability to do with ease the jobs that other manufacturers just can't do. We will be running a new

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UK - Leading UK lighting rental company Siyan designed and supplied a lighting rig based on SGM moving lights for the BBC's Electric Proms shows. These were staged at the newly restored Camden Roundhouse.

The rig was a co-design by Bryan Leitch and Nick Whitehouse, with Siyan in the demanding position of working for the BBC Electric Proms team and promoters Metropolis Music, the latter of whom brought the High Wycombe based company in to light the series of shows.

Up to three artists were featured per night including music from The Good The Bad and The Queen (one of Damon Albarn's new projects), The Who, Paul Weller, Young Tiger, The Zutons, James Brown, The Magic Numbers and many more artists and musicians who performed new, unique work and collaborations.

Leitch and Whitehouse utilised 126 SGM fixtures of various different types including Giotto 400 series Washes, Spots an

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USA - Bandit Lites is proud to be supplying lighting again for Montgomery Gentry's current tour. Released in October of 2006, their latest album Some People Change features twelve new tracks.

Lighting designer, Michael Shucher, said that the main objective for the MontgomeryGentry show was to portray a big look with a minimal amount of lights. The initialchallenge was to find lights that could compete with the arched video wall. Shucherneeded the lights to cut through the video wall while still being light in weight and not toobulky. He also wanted the lights to be hard edge and have rotating gobos. The Vari*Lite2500 achieved all of these requirements.

Shucher also found the High End Systems Studio Beams to be very beneficial. Heplaced them on the side towers to act as fans. The HES Studio Beams were also used towash various set pieces, which include anything from flyin

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